Round six of the MotoGP World Championship takes place in England at the legendary Silverstone Circuit.
In qualifying, Cal Crutchlow hurt himself in practice. But, he will race. Jorge Lorenzo has a new contract with Yamaha, but couldn't go fast enough for the front row. Casey Stoner and Ben Spies will be on the front row. But, Alvaro Bautista earns his first ever pole in MotoGP. Cal Crutchlow will make the grid. But, Karel Abraham will not start the race.
The race will be dry. A dry race in England! Silverstone is 3.6 miles long and is the longest track on the MotoGP schedule. Twenty lap- race. At the start, Ben Spies got a great start and leads from Casey Stoner. Nicky Hayden is also moving up but Dani Pedrosa is behind going onto the Wellington straight and headed for Brooklands. Andrea Dovizioso and Hector Barbera follow. Cal Crutchlow is up to 16th and Dani Pedrosa is passed going through Maggots/Becketts/Chapel, before Hangar straight. Then, the bikes go through Stowe and Vale. It's been a difficult weekend for a lot of riders because qualifying was wet and cold. The bikes go back towards Brooklands and Luffield again as Casey Stoner battles Ben Spies. Nicky Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo are also coming quick.
Back through Becketts and Maggots another time. Nicky Hayden tries passing Alvaro Bautista and Stoner is right on top of Ben Spies, too. Lap one complete. Cal Cruthclow is down on Valentino Rossi as Nicky Hayden gives him a challenge. Stoner is closing on Ben Spies through Woodcote. If Stoner can pass Ben Spies, he'll be able to sail off into the distance. Nicky Hayden got third briefly before Alvaro Bautista pounced. Stoner starts gapping Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow is behind Valentino Rossi. Bautista and Spies battle each other. Spies won't let him by.
Nicky Hayden runs wide allowing Jorge Lorenzo to pass. Dani Pedrosa is seventh right now. Karel Abraham joins the commentary team after his crash. Lorenzo wants by Bautista. Onto lap seven, Stoner takes another tenth out of the lead. Lorenzo passes Bautista down the Wellington straight. Dani Pedrosa is also coming as Andrea Dovizioso fights Dani Pedrosa into Vale. Pedrosa and Dovizioso still scrap. Alvaro Bautista is going for it as Lorenzo closes on Stoner. This is some race, three laps before halfway. Stefan Bradl and Cal Crutchlow follow behind Nicky Hayden.
Lorenzo and Stoner battle into Vale again and through Club. The race is half over. It's getting tighter. The conditions are getting better and Stoner can still hold off Lorenzo. But, where has Andrea Dovizioso gone? Dovizioso must have crashed and gotten back on the bike. He's way down the order. Cal Crutchlow tries to pass Stefan Bradl. He's making an effort because his left ankle is broken. Crutchlow passes Bradl for seventh. Lorenzo is pushing, trying to let Stoner make a mistake, right at halfway.
Dovizioso is in the pits, taking the parking brake protector off the bike, but, he will keep going in the race. Lorenzo takes the lead and then, SDtoner tries passing again into Abbey. Into Farm and Village, these two are going for it and then Lorenzo passes Stoner again. Just nine laps left now. Stoner will not let Lorenzo out of his sight. Andrea Dovizioso is back on track now, but he's at the back of the order.
Randy de Puniet and Alexis Espargaro battle for CRT. James Ellison and Michele Pirro also are riding well. Dani Pedrosa wants to get to Stoner. Valentino Rossi and Hector Barbera battle on two Ducati's. Rossi on the factory bike and Barbera on the satellite team bike. Jnto Maggots/Becketts, the race between Stoner and Pedrosa is still hot while Lorenzo opens a gap. Just five laps remain in the race and it looks like Lorenzo will win. Another rider retires. Not sure who. James Ellison runs 14th. Stoner will not give up his spot. He knows he probably can't get to Lorenzo. Bautista still hounds Pedrosa. Cal Crutchlow is up to seventh.
The gap between Crutchlow and Hayden is 2.8 seconds. Casey Stoner holds second as Nicky Hayden runs sixth. Can Cal Crutchlow catch up to Nicky Hayden? The tires are going away, so, it's going to be interesting for these last couple laps. Pedros and Stoner is still the hottest battle on the track and Alvaro Bautista is pushing hard to stay with those other two riders. The bikes run through Luffield and it's now the last lap, coming up. If it's slippery and a rider is pushing, they don't want to risk crashing. Alexi Espargaro and Randy de Puniet continue to battle in the CRT class.
Can Crutchlow pass Hayden? One lap left. Jorge Lorenzo will win another race and get more points to pad his already large points lead. This is the final lap. Cal Crutchlow might make another move as Jorge Lorenzo has an easy Sunday ride to another win wwith another mile of the track left. Can Dani Pedrosa pass Stoner? Crutchlow does pass Hayden into Becketts. Into Vale for the last time, Jorge Lorenzo will win three in a row and his second win at Silverstone!
#99 Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha
The next race is at Assen in the Netherlands, the Tourist Trophy, a legendary motorcycle race. The race in the Netherlands is in two weeks, or, twelve days from today.
No comments:
Post a Comment